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Jan 2010

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Great insight on Manti T'eo from Ex-GM Bill Polian

Let me put this to rest. Despite all of the commentary coming from those outside the league following [URL="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/29240/manti-teo"]Manti Te'o[/URL]'s combine performance, among those inside the game that I've spoken to, no one has soured on him significantly.Teams understand he's been under incredible pressure and has been for the past month after allegedly becoming the victim of a hoax. Step back away from the story and think about how players perform for a second. Coaches and GMs are constantly preaching about eliminating distractions. There's a reason for that. In order to perform well as an athlete you need to be single-minded, focused on the job at hand, right down to the minute details. If that focus is shattered, if you're distracted, you do not perform as well. In an environment like the combine, where inches and tenths of a second are scrutinized, details matter.Inside the game, all of us rely on tape, not on the combine as be-all, end-all. Sometimes we get caught up in the event and the excitement and make more of the combine than those evaluating these prospects. To them, the game film shows you what kind of football player he is.Absent the 40 time, Te'o's tests actually solidified what most thought about him. He is instinctive, tough, a good tackler and more quick than fast. Everyone is looking forward to his 40 in South Bend on March 26, and that will be the dispositive piece in the puzzle relative to speed.The fluctuations in his draft stock I've been hearing about don't make much sense to me. The notion that a player's draft stock can change in a day, or after a single drill, is as much of a hoax as the one Te'o's been caught up in.My feeling -- one shared by many of my colleagues in the league -- is that when all is said and done, he's in the lower quarter of the first round, maybe the top of second depending on his final 40 time. If he drops down in that range, however, he'll provide great value.

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IMO he may get drafted higher but you will actually be getting the next Rey Malaluga who the Bumgals got at the top of Round 2. T'eo will be Sean Lee and Paul Pozlusny. Good but not special. Therefore shouldn't be a round 1 pick.

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Originally Posted by Oviedo

IMO he may get drafted higher but you will actually be getting the next Rey Malaluga who the Bumgals got at the top of Round 2. T'eo will be Sean Lee and Paul Pozlusny. Good but not special. Therefore shouldn't be a round 1 pick.

I dont agree. I think he has shown the ability to improve. This past season he dropped the weight and was asked to cover more. He came away with 7 picks. That right there makes him better than Mauluga. And I contest, if he gets with a team like the Steelers, and is not asked to do more than zone cover, add the weight back (255), and play coming forward, he will light it up in the opponents back field.

I believe what Polian said about the distraction. It is a major reason for the drop off in the Championship game as well as his 40 time. A professional athlete that is distracted will under-perform.

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A player who puts himself in a position to be distracted is a player I dont want...

You a shouldnt have to work this hard to convince people he is a baller.

Some times it's unavoidable. But regardless what Bill Polian has had to say really puts all that you had on this situation to shame. He has far greater weight than you. And he is right on what he has said about this.

And I most of what I say about him is to counter the garbage you have put out there on him. Stuff that is totally incorrect. And I know he can ball and nothing anyone else has to say changes that.

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Originally Posted by Dee Dub

Some times it's unavoidable. But regardless what Bill Polian has had to say really puts all that you had on this situation to shame. He has far greater weight than you. And he is right on what he has said about this.

And I most of what I say about him is to counter the garbage you have put out there on him. Stuff that is totally incorrect. And I know he can ball and nothing anyone else has to say changes that.

Polian is known for putting together great defenses so I beleive him....lol.

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Originally Posted by Dee Dub

Some times it's unavoidable. But regardless what Bill Polian has had to say really puts all that you had on this situation to shame. He has far greater weight than you. And he is right on what he has said about this.

And I most of what I say about him is to counter the garbage you have put out there on him. Stuff that is totally incorrect. And I know he can ball and nothing anyone else has to say changes that.

So could Lawrence Phillips ball, and a 1000 other guys who's career derailed for reasons outside the lines. You are telling everyone to ignore the off the field stuff.

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So could Lawrence Phillips ball, and a 1000 other guys who's career derailed for reasons outside the lines. You are telling everyone to ignore the off the field stuff.

There will always be off the field stuff... the best players dont use it as an excuse for a bad game.

He had a bad game... it happens but unfortunately it happened on a night when EVERYONE tuned in.

As far as what is true with the Lennay hoax... it sure is a win win for Te'o. If he plays well he is an awesome guy with awesome character and heart. If he plays like trash, well.. he had distractions. The truth, whether its mine, Ronai, Dubs or Te'o's.... anyone you choose its still a crazy story.... the problem tho is it wasnt disclosed prior to the game or right after the game so it shouldnt be used as an excuse for looking overmatched by NFL talent. he had a chance to redeem himself in the senior bowl and he declined...

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So could Lawrence Phillips ball, and a 1000 other guys who's career derailed for reasons outside the lines. You are telling everyone to ignore the off the field stuff.

Yeah let's compare T'eo to Lawrence Phillips..... Manti T'eo has never been in any kind of off-field trouble. Somebody did something wrong to him, not the other way around.

This post above is about an Ex-Gm (who was one of the best), believing that Manti T'eo's performance on the field was affected by this incident. Your personal dislike for this guy means very little. You want to paint a picture based on that?...then have it. I believe what Polian said is very true. Can somebody tell me that what he has to say about player performances and off field distractions isnt true? Yeah..I didnt think so.